On This Day

Introduction On a cold February night in 1567, the course of Scottish history changed forever when Lord Darnley, the second husband of Mary Queen of Scots, was murdered in a spectacular explosion at Kirk o’ Field in Edinburgh. Yet whilst gunpowder destroyed his lodging, Darnley’s body was found in the garden, apparently strangled—a detail that … Read more

Introduction In the shadowy corridors of Essex House on 29th January 1601, one of the most audacious plots in English history was taking shape. Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, once the golden boy of Elizabeth I’s court and her rumoured favourite, was orchestrating what would become known as the Essex Rebellion. This desperate gamble … Read more

Introduction Imagine losing the last piece of your empire in just eight days. On 20 January 1558, this nightmare became reality for England when French forces under Francis, Duke of Guise, captured Calais after a swift siege that shocked Europe. The fall of this strategic port city didn’t just mark the end of a 211-year … Read more

Introduction Imagine walking into your local parish church on a Sunday morning in 1549 and hearing the familiar words of worship spoken in English for the first time in over a thousand years. The Latin phrases that had echoed through stone arches since time immemorial were suddenly replaced with the vernacular tongue of ordinary English … Read more

Introduction In the flickering candlelight of Essex House on a cold January evening in 1601, one of England’s most celebrated war heroes was plotting the downfall of his own queen. Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, once the darling of Elizabeth I’s court and her rumoured favourite, had fallen so far from grace that he … Read more

When the Pope Declared War on England’s Queen: The 1570 Papal Bull That Changed Everything On a cold January day in 1570, a document that would reshape the religious landscape of England was secretly distributed throughout the realm. Pope Pius V’s papal bull Regnans in Excelsis didn’t merely criticise Queen Elizabeth I; it declared her … Read more

Introduction Picture this: on a crisp May morning in 1569, crowds gathered at the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral in London, not for worship, but to witness the conclusion of England’s very first state lottery. The great lottery wheel had been turning since January, and now, after nearly four months of anticipation, the final draws … Read more